Triggertrap Kickstarts the Redsnap expandable camera trigger

For the past couple of years Triggertrap has been devising clever ways of triggering your camera, with its Triggertrap Mobile smartphone app proving a hit with creative photographers. But sometimes a smartphone trigger (no matter how smart) isn't the right tool the job, which is why the firm has now revealed the Triggertrap Redsnap. The affordable modular camera trigger uses a series of optional sensors to make sure you never miss a shot, no matter how fleeting.

The Triggertrap Redsnap is a dedicated flash and camera trigger which uses a range of optional sensors to allow photographers to capture high-speed and generally difficult-to-shoot subjects. While offering similar functionality as the Triggertrap v1 (which squeezed an array of sensors into one box) the Redsnap takes a modular approach so that photographers can select exactly what they need.

The core Redsnap base block unit, which is used for controlling the set-up and connecting devices, features a backlit LCD display and water-resistant control buttons. It boasts a host of connections including a Micro USB socket, a Triggertrap Mobile connection socket and three outputs so that three cameras, three flashes, or a combination thereof, can be triggered. There's also a tripod thread and it's powered by two AA batteries.

While the base block has a robust-looking protruding interconnect for additional sensors, it's capable of a few triggering modes itself. These functions include the ability to shoot timelapse, TimeWarp (timelapse with acceleration) long-exposure HDR sets, and Star Trail photography. However, it's when you connect the additional sensors, by snapping them on or wiring them together with a special connection cable, that the fun really begins.

A High Speed Laser Sensor is designed for capturing fast-moving objects and can be used to trigger a camera when its beam is broken. It has a speedy reaction time of just 60 microseconds, meaning a fired bullet would only travel 24 mm after breaking the laser before your camera and flash both fired. A High Speed Sound Sensor can be used to trigger when a noise is heard, while a High Speed Light Sensor could come in handy for photographing lightning. A Passive Infrared sensor can be triggered by movement, making it ideal for some wildlife situations. More add-on sensors are expected to follow the initial four, with Triggertrap currently asking for suggestions to find out what users want to see developed in the future.

In addition to being used one at a time, each of the sensors can also be combined. This allows for things like setting the Redsnap to only trigger when the light sensor detects it's daytime, and a noise is heard by the sound sensor. Multiples of the same sensor can also be deployed together. Integration with the Triggertrap Mobile app allows users to trigger the app from the Redsnap, or use the app as a sensor for the Redsnap, to add functions like Peekaboo facial recognition.

After quickly sailing past its initial Kickstarter funding target (something else it has in common with the v1), the Triggertrap Redsnap is expected to start shipping in May 2014. A pledge of £35 (US$57) will get you the Triggertrap Redsnap and camera connection cable, but this being Kickstarter there are plenty of other options, and if you want the base block along with all four sensors, that'll set you back £150 ($243).